BASKETBALL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1938, Page 14

BASKETBALL

N.Z. TEAM ON TOUR

DIFFERENCES IN RULES

(Special to the "Evening Post.';) (From Mrs. H. D. Muir.)

MELBOURNE, August 12,

( The New Zealand basketball team at [ present in Australia has found that in I practice many of the Australian rules ) differ from the literal reading of the ) rule book. The team and its officials ( had an excellent opportunity of observ- ( ing the rules in the first game, against ) the New - South Wales Rest team at } Sydney. It was played on grass. | The two-handed passing and shoot- [ ing of the New Zealand girls caused [ a great deal of comment, all the? Ausl tralian players using a long, onehanded pass. The general opinion was that the New Zealand players handled . the ball more confidently, and their ! positional play was more definite once the defence had possession, the ball being taken easily down the field. Where the team failed was in the footwork, the Australian rule of progression demanding that every pass must be taken from the place? where the first foot touches the ground, and \ the foot must remain grounded. Quick [ jumping and clearing by the defence ) was often penalised because the ball \ was passed while the player was still I in the air. The forwards also con- ) tinually lost possession when in a good \ position to score by transferring their J weight from the first foot grounded to J the other foot. The team did' well to win by 19 goals to 15. The following / players comprised the teamj—M. Ma- _ tangi (captain), J. Mitchell (vice-cap-tain), E.-Sinclair,-M. Howe, J. Neilf son, E. Howard, and M. Tangye. • \ The team was met by officials of the / New South Wales Association and S taken to the University courts, where the University Club provided morning | tea prior to the game. The whole J party were the guests of JDavid Jones [ Ltd., at a luncheon party, rejoining ) the ship in the afternoon. \ ON HARD COURT. \ The New Zealand team had a furl ther opportunity to becoirte more con--5 versant with the Australian rules when \ they played University High School { the day after their arrival in Mcl- ) bourne. The game was played on { asphalt and the New Zealanders there- / fore felt more at home and showed \ greatly improved footwork. [ The five players who did not par- } ticipate in the New South Wales game- \ in Sydney, together witih J. Mitchell ; and J. Willson, comprised the side, \ the forward trio, J. Willson, J. Tyrell, 1 and E. Neame, combining exceedingly } well, with J. Tyrell. scorin<r most of \ the goals. The Dominion team were ; beaten at the centre bounce, other- ) wise the score would have been con- [ siderably higher. Thje work on the } wings by E. Neame and F. Southan S enabled the forwards to get into posi- ; tion for good shots at goal. The scores S were: First quarter, University 12, New ( Zealand 9; half-time, New Zealand 18, ) University 16; third quarter, New Zea- \ land 26, University 20; final score, New / Zealand 35, University 25. 5 On Thursday night the team were i the guests of the New Zealand Assoy ciatioh of Victoria at a ball. J CONFIDENT HANDLING. V The second practice match arranged ( for the New Zealand team by the Vic--5 torian Association was against the Mc- \ Robertson High School team, one of / the strongest teams in Melbourne. This ) team played a good open game, de- ( cisive positional play taking the ball 7 easily to the goal circle. The oneI handed hard passing of the Austra- ; lian girls made their game a longpassing one, in sharp contrast to the I two-handed short passing of the New 3 Zealanders, whose confident handling \ of the ball has drawn commendation / both in Melbourne and in Sydney. The practice matches have enabled \ the New Zealand team to become more j j conversant with the progression rules! S of the Australian game, and great imJ provement in the particular form of footwork required is seen after each \ game. i J In the match against Mcßobertson, !j J. Tyrell and E. Neame were the goal--1 throwers, with J. Willson on the attack wing. M. Howe centre, and M. \ Matangi, J. Mitchell, and E. Sinclair J in the defence line. M. Howe proved S quite successful at the centre bounce. { which is something new for the New Zealanders, and good passing by the \ whole team finished by accurate scorJ ing. enabled New Zealand to win by \ 31 goals to 26, E. Neame scoring 18 1 out of 29 attempts and J. Tyrell 13 3 out of 29. j